Fifth Quarter: Analyzing Oregon's win over Washington

 

Today in the Fifth Quarter, this one will be remembered as much for how Oregon won as for where they did it. In a rivalry built on wild swings and broken hearts, the Ducks walked into Husky Stadium without six scholarship receivers, with a patched-together offensive line, and still walked out 26–14 winners — and with a home College Football Playoff game in their pocket. It wasn’t always pretty. It was grown-up football: execution over emotion, field goals over panic, and a defense that choked the air out of Washington’s passing game until the final moments.

Below is the complete breakdown of how Oregon moved to 11–1 in Seattle, one phase at a time.

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OFFENSE — Grade: B

This game demanded discipline more than explosiveness, and Oregon leaned into that identity even when the run game never found its stride. Washington loaded the box, brought repeated corner pressure, and squeezed Oregon’s interior run concepts into the teeth of the defense. Oregon’s banged-up offensive line — with Poncho Laloulu, Alex Harkey, and Isaiah World all gutting through uncertain midweek statuses — simply couldn’t generate consistent displacement.

But their pass protection? Quietly outstanding.

The Ducks kept Dante Moore clean on almost every long-developing concept. The unit wasn’t dominant on the ground, but they were controlled, technically sharp, and locked in when the game script needed them. That stability allowed Moore to deliver one of the most composed road performances of his young career.

Moore went 20-of-29 for 286 yards and the game-sealing touchdown, and his mastery of high-leverage downs largely defined the night. On third downs, he was poised and surgical — including the fourth-down throw over the middle and the early-second-half 31-yard strike to Jamari Johnson that turned a possible three-and-out into an extended drive.

His explanation of the game-winning shot to Malik Benson captured the maturity:

“I knew I had numbers backside… Malik’s going to be a playmaker with the ball in his hands. At the end of the day, I threw him the pass, but he did most of the work.”

Benson continued his torrid November with 102 yards and the signature moment of the night — a deep in-breaker that he accelerated into a 64-yard touchdown with the Huskies surging and the stadium roaring. His routes were crisp, his leverage manipulation was elite, and he attacked the soft spots Washington repeatedly left between the hashes.

Jamari Johnson and Jeremiah McClellan were equally important, especially between the numbers. Johnson provided Oregon with a chain-moving presence, strong blocking, and a needed vertical middle threat. McClellan’s 41-yard explosive from Oregon’s own 6-yard line was one of the most important snaps of the game and consistently matched what his tape has shown all year: body control, strong hands, and spatial awareness.

The run game never produced the efficiency Oregon wanted — 2.5 yards per carry, a far cry from the last month — but the backs ran hard, protected the ball, and kept Oregon in manageable down-and-distances. Hill’s physicality, Whittington’s patience, and Davison’s short-yardage toughness were essential even without the highlight plays.

The offense didn’t dominate Washington in the box score. But it dominated the parts of the game where playoff teams earn wins in hostile stadiums: execution on passing downs, patient drive construction, field position, and taking the game when it was available.

Key performers: Dante Moore, Malik Benson, Jamari Johnson, Jeremiah McClellan, Emmanuel Pregnon, Dave Iuli, and the entire OL for their elite pass protection.

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DEFENSE — Grade: A-

This wasn’t just one of Oregon’s best defensive performances of the season — it was one of its most connected. Every level of the unit elevated the others, and the individual standouts played their best football in the highest-leverage rivalry environment they’ve faced.

The early tone was set by violence: two quick sacks, a flurry of negative plays, and Washington producing 3 total yards through two possessions. Even when the Huskies found their footing by leaning on Adam Mohammed’s inside runs, Oregon’s structure never lost integrity.

The defensive line was relentless. Teitum Tuioti played one of the best games of his career — disruptive, violent with his hands, and consistently penetrating the pocket. His late sack began the unraveling of Washington’s final drive before the sealing interception. Bear Alexander and A’Mauri Washington were physical anchors inside, absorbing double teams and forcing Washington’s backs to bounce or hesitate.

Off the edge, Blake Purchase and Nasir Wyatt contained Williams with discipline, forcing him back into the teeth of the defense. Their containment allowed Oregon’s game-long “cage the QB” emphasis to function, and it forced Williams into throws he didn’t want to make.

The linebackers were assignment-sound and exceptionally physical. Bryce Boettcher was everywhere — a tone-setter as both a tackler and communicator. His ability to take on blocks, fill interior gaps, and trigger downhill kept Washington behind the sticks.

And Dillon Thieneman was simply outstanding. His hybrid role — part spy, part overhang, part deep-half safety — was executed with veteran-level discipline. He was rarely out of phase, drove on underneath routes with authority, and sealed the game with the interception that ended Washington’s final hope. His consistency across all phases was as impressive as the splash plays.

In the secondary, Jadon Canady’s goal-line interception was a masterclass in late hands and leverage. Brandon Finney, Aaron Flowers, and Ify Obidegwu played tight coverage all night, challenging every release and contesting every window Washington attempted to attack downfield.

The only consistent Washington success came via Mohammed’s yards after contact on dive concepts — the one area where Oregon was slightly out of rhythm — but in every other area the Ducks were suffocating.

Lanning summed it up:

“We felt like chunk plays weren’t gonna be the difference — explosive plays were. And we limited the explosives.”

This was a defense playing like a playoff team.

Key performers: Dillon Thieneman, Bryce Boettcher, Teitum Tuioti, Jadon Canady, Blake Purchase, Bear Alexander, Aaron Flowers, Brandon Finney.

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SPECIAL TEAMS — Grade: A

In a game where the offense too often stalled in the high red zone and the defense’s dominance didn’t always show up on the scoreboard, special teams were the difference between a tense finish and a disaster.

Atticus “Automatic” Sappington hit four field goals — 46, 32, 37, and a career-long 51 — in a swirling road environment with a playoff berth effectively on the line. James Ferguson-Reynolds flipped the field early. Coverage units played clean, disciplined football. Oregon doesn’t win this game without its specialists.

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COACHING — Grade: A-

This staff coached one of its most complete games of the season — strategically, culturally, and structurally.

On defense, the plan to contain Demond Williams was masterful. Oregon committed the right personnel to space, mixed pressure with coverage integrity, and executed a game plan that forced Washington to play left-handed. The staff trusted players in roles that matched their strengths: Canady on top-down leverage, Thieneman in a hybrid assignment, Boettcher as a point-of-attack anchor, and the defensive line in aggressive gap structures.

The defensive front rotations were particularly well-managed — getting the right combinations on the field for pass downs, closing edges with the correct contain players, and letting the interior rotation play downhill. The result: Washington’s passing game was suffocated from whistle to whistle.

Offensively, Will Stein and Dan Lanning were composed even when the run game sputtered. They leaned on the parts of the offense that were working: crossing-route spacing, middle-of-field leverage, and trust in Moore’s decision-making. The fourth-down aggressiveness was consistent with season-long philosophy, and the shot to Benson at 19–14 was a pitch-perfect understanding of situation, matchups, and momentum.

Culturally, Lanning’s emotional management showed up everywhere. From Moore:

“We’re trying to do more execution over emotion.”

From Benson:

“Don’t let the game be bigger than what it needs to be.”

From Lanning himself:

“History is great, but we gotta write some history today.”

This team echoed their head coach word-for-word. That’s the sign of a program aligned.

Even the one controversial moment — the late fourth-and-one — came from belief rather than desperation. The staff trusted their guys, and the players clearly appreciated it. As Moore said:

“That’s a coach you would die for… fourth-and-whatever, you’re going to leave it all on the line for him.”

Oregon entered with a plan, adjusted with clarity, and executed with conviction.

Key coaching impact: Lupoi’s defensive architecture and adjustments; Stein’s situational passing emphasis; Lanning’s emotional control, roster readiness, and game-management backbone.

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FINAL THOUGHT

This wasn’t a fireworks show. It wasn’t built for style points. It was built to travel — built on discipline, physicality, and execution when it mattered most.

And it sent Oregon home with something they’ve never had before:

A December playoff game in Eugene.

One more chance to write history.